Subject: txt 2010 vals othr lbrty -
In the struggle between the two major political parties, the advantage goes to the one that can articulate that for which it stands. Democrats have the advantage
The 20th Century Progressive movement in America was a first cousin of the Fabians. Their agendas were widely compatible. And, although Democrats today deny it, the Democrat Party has, at least since FDR's New Deal, been incrementally morphing into the Social Democrat Party.
"[T]he principle of equality is most acclaimed by those who expect to gain more than they lose from an equal distribution of goods. Here is a fertile field for the demagogue. Whoever stirs up the resentment of the poor against the rich can count on securing a big audience."
(Socialism, 1981 LibraryClassics edition)
Meanwhile: Where is the ideological opposition? Who speaks as a political counterforce? What is the Republican rebuttal?
On balance, the weight of GOP language today leans more heavily on less government than on more freedom. Today's GOP is positioned as Shaw's "Unsocialists."
To survive and thrive in the 21st Century the GOP must claim clearly and forcibly that for which it stands. And do it soon.
The second decade of 21st Century will witness an historic battle between American political ideologies. Democrats have one already defined. Republicans will struggle to find theirs. The future profile of the nation depends on the outcome.
Meanwhile, conservative citizens, not elected GOP officials, are pushing the rebuttal to socialism into the arena of public discussion...
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